How console add-ons have changed the face of gaming

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Add-ons for video game consoles are an expected part of the hardware cycle. A console comes out, it starts to age, and add-on hardware is released to breathe a little more life into the platform. We’ve already discussed the future of add-ons for the PS4 and Xbox One, so let’s take a moment to reflect on the history of console add-ons.

There have been an absurd number of accessories released in the thirty-odd years of home consoles, so it’s impossible to fit every single one into this article. Even so, I’ve picked the most interesting, important, and just plain silly add-ons to highlight exactly how console add-ons have changed the face of gaming.

Famicom Disk System

Released in Japan in 1986, the Famicom Disk System added support for proprietary floppy disks to Japan’s version of the Nintendo Entertainment System. After release, high-profile games like The Legend of Zelda and Metroid took advantage of the format’s ability to easily save the player’s progress. Sadly, the add-on never made its way to North America, so ports of Disk System games had to be made on traditional NES cartridges with either battery-powered volatile memory or elaborate password systems.

Robotic Operating Buddy

The Robotic Operating Buddy — better known as R.O.B. — was a small robot released in 1985 for the NES. This crazy console add-on worked with two games: Gyromite and Stack-Up. As specific events took place on the screen, R.O.B. would react accordingly in the real world. It was a very novel concept at the time, but was ultimately just a gimmick to market the NES as a toy instead of a video game machine.

NES Zapper

The NES Zapper wasn’t the first light gun accessory, but it certainly was the first to gain widespread use. With the success of titles like Duck Hunt, this gun-shaped accessory made the NES seem like a much more approachable console for video game initiates.

Power Glove

The Power Glove was a terrible add-on. It looked very futuristic and nerdy, but the functionality was actually quite limited. Infamously, it was featured prominently in The Wizard, but it ultimately failed in the market due to its impracticality and lack of software support.

TurboGrafx-CD

The TurboGrafx-CD was a compact disc add-on for the TurboGrafx-16, and was the first of its kind when it hit store shelves in the late ’80s. While the platform never took off in the United States, it performed quite well in Japan. Without a doubt, this accessory helped fast-track the move towards optical media.

Multitap

Consoles usually came with just two controller ports, so an add-on was needed to enable four-player games. The TurboGrafx-16, NES, and even the PlayStation all took advantage of multitap add-ons. It wasn’t until the Nintendo 64 era that consoles actually started to ship with four controller ports.

Sega CD

The Sega CD was a bizarre add-on to the Sega Genesis. It offered substantially more storage space for games, but it was ultimately a failure due to the large price tag and limited library. While the core idea wasn’t bad, Sega ended up suffering due to the poor implementation.

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XenoSilvano

Its kind of embarrassing for me to reminisce about how games were play compared to the way they are now. Some of the features that are so common place in gaming today once required an additional peripheral to be enjoyed as premium experience back in the day.

Phobos

the power glove, “now you’re playing with power” lol
The super Gameboy and the add on for the Gameboy player were also good, Sony and MS should implement something similar for backward compatible with ps1 and 2.

Funky3K

I’d buy a power glove just to wear it.

AdamRadzik22

I’d sell you mine for 10 bucks plus shipping, if I could find it. I remember saving up to buy it back when I was a young tike, only for the first hour or two I had it being thoroughly disappointing when I realized that it really didn’t help or do anything for pretty much all my games and I had spent good Christmas and birthday money on it haha. Biggest video game disappointment ever….til Castlevania went 3D.

Dozerman

Admittedly, I’m a bit young to know about that thing; the first console I ever got was an N64 ( although I do have some good childhood memories of my parents’ NES and Duck Hunt) how, exactly, did that glove work? Was it just a controller connected to a glove, or did hand gestures actually play a part in controlling the game?

AdamRadzik22

Yep. As a video game loving 11 year old, I was the prime target for that thing. It had one or two games that took advantage of the fact that it could detect the power glove yaw motion, and I had the Super Glove Ball or something like that. Basically, you control a giant ball that bounces in a 3-D box and you have to hit things with the bouncing ball. It wasn’t that fun…. And as for the other 99.99% of NES games that existed, that didn’t really make use of the capabilities, using the power glove on those games amounted to yes, just basically using the controller attached to the glove.

The fact that it could detect yaw with hand motion was actually very cool, and I could see it being used awesomely back then with like flight type simulators…but alas it was not to be. It just was used in a couple mediocre games, then used as a crappy controller in all the other ones.

The design itself and what it could do was cool, but it was implemented horribly and with no game support.

Dozerman

It would still be a good design today. Imagine a FPS where you command aa squad and a raised fist meant “stop”, while an open hand waved in a circle meant “rally up” and such, just like IRL… actually, on second thought, it’s best that that never happens…

Boudou

You guys should have added the original Dualshock. The PS1 didn’t have the Dualshock bundled with the original system.

The picture in this article has a PS1 with a Dualshock, so its close, but instead it talks about the failed Nintendo CD venture that failed (and everyone knows about).

The DualShock is interesting because it added the second analog with the rumble, previous attempts like the N64 had the analog-stickin the middle and the camera controlled by 4 c-buttons.

Basically the mold for all current controllers was an add-on.

devogod

the dualshock didn’t bring anything completely new to the table though. analog sticks were done already with the n64. rumble was done with the n64. even dual analog sticks were done already with sony’s own ‘dual analog controller’ which looks very much like the dualshock but without the rumble and it had flightstick mode, which the dualshock did not. all that the dualshock did was take already used ideas and put it into a more refined package.

Boudou

There have been analog sticks before the dualshock, e.g. N64, Nights Saturn controller, but never two analogs.

The dual-analog was just a prototype to the dualshock, they came out several months apart, and the non-rumble version was quickly discontinued.

What the DualShock did was to dedicate the second analog for camera. Nights had an auto-camera, and, again, the N64 used 4 yellow c-buttons for this. People that have played Mario 64 can remember how cumbersome this was (the c-buttons controlled a Lakitu camera man).

Without the second analog 3D games would not be what it is today.Every console FPS relies of having the second analog stick.

In fact, its the design that has been the archetype for every single console since (except the Wii): two analogs, two rumbles, d-pad, 4 face buttons, and four shoulders buttons.

devogod

even still. the dual shock wasn’t new. it was just sony taking everything nintendo did and hit x2 in their calculator. snes had two shoulder buttons. sony: WE’LL DOUBLE THAT. n64 gets an analog stick. sony: WE’LL DOUBLE THAT, TOO! n64 gets a rumble pak. sony: DOUBLE IT! it just wasn’t new. it was just sony trying to 1up nintendo everytime nintendo had a good idea. i’m not saying its not a good controller. the sony dualshock is probably one of the best, if not THE best controller out there. but it wasn’t new or particularly innovative, and thats why its not on this list.

devogod

and dont forget dual analogs had been around in some form or another. sony’s flightstick had been out for some time, and the dual analog controller emulated it and put it in a small form. neither caught on though. hardly any games used them. only ones i can think of off the top of my head was descent maximum and i think mechwarrior.

Boudou

Well, the analog stick itself has always been around since the Atari days as a joystick and lived on in arcades. Yeah, all controllers have had buttons, and have had sticks to control movement from the very beginning,.but that’s not the innovative part.

The major point is that Sony made 3D gaming work. The N64, Saturn, and the first Playstation was the first generation that moved from 2D gaming to 3D gaming. Controllers till then were really designed for a character to move in a 2D plane (primarily 2D platformers).

Sony was the first to get the 3D console controller right. Its a design that remains today.

Looking back, you can also see how really HORRIBLE the N64 controller was. It had the crappy plastic analog pad in the middle (no rubber), no effective way to control the camera, and an ineffective rumble pack that stuck out (and not integrated into the controller itself). Everything was half baked.

The dualshock is the prototype for every game controller we use today, its the 3D equivalent of the what the first Famicom/NES controller was to 2D gaming.

Let’s put it this way,you can comfortably play any modern game with the original dualshock (which is nearing 15 years old), you can’t say the same about the N64 controller.

Imagine playing Call of Duty, or any FPS with any other controller from that day (N64, Saturn, or even the Dreamcast controller), it would be unplayable.

devogod

i agree that the n64 controller blows, and that the dualshock set the standard. but it didn’t revolutionize 3d gaming. the n64 has that title, too IMO. the n64 did so with its very first set of games. mario 64, shadows of the empire, etc, whcih all used the analog stick extensively. we had to wait till the next calendar year for the dual analog and dual shock to come to market. in 1996 when we were playing mario and star wars and others on the n64, the ps1 still had essentially a snes controller with two extra shoulder buttons and thats it. granted, the second analog certainly made it easier for us to control the camera, but it didn’t start the idea or bring it to the masses. the n64 did that in its crude c-button ways. and for that matter, the n64 didnt really jump start 3d either. it certainly was crude, but back in like ’93 or ’94 or whatever year it was it was pretty neat playing the ‘virtua’ games on the saturn. IMO, the dual sticks didn’t start the 3d revolution, it simply refined it and made it more enjoyable. while the n64, saturn, and dreamcast controllers certainly weren’t very good when compared to the dual shock, FPS was possible. i have a copy of quake 3 arena for the dreamcast. it has full motion controls just as it does on the PC, and its quite frustrating to be sure, but its not ‘unplayable’. i found it much easier to set the controls so that the left analog moves the camera while ABXY were movement, L for jump, R for shooting and the d-pad’s various directions for other controls like weapon switch.

Boudou

I think Mario 64 was revolutionary, I remember feeling just floored the first time I played it. But the controller was not. It blows as you say, and hasn’t survived the test of time.

Bu the second analog stick was revolutionary, in that it changed how games are played. Every game now is designed around that controller type.

Good design doesn’t change. It evolves but functional relevance remains the same. And good form follows function.

Look at all the controller fads we’ve gone through: power glove, joy sticks, NGcon, Wii, Kinect, Move, etc. The designs that have lasted has been the d-pad, face buttons, shoulder triggers, and dual analog sticks.

You can make the argument that each of those designs have seen iterations somewhere in the past, but right now, modern games would not be playable without the shoulder buttons and dual analog.

You could get rid of the face buttons, d-pad, a lot of games would still be playable with some modifications (probably look like a Steam controller). But not having two analog inputs (one to move, one to see), would be impossible.

That’s what being revolutionary is about. Its a design element that you can’t live without.

Boudou

Also, on the subject of the N64 and 3D gaming.

I think Miyamoto and Nintendo thought about 3D gaming more than any other company at the time. And definitely were pioneers, however as it turned out they lost out to the Playstation.

It was an issue of execution. The PS, with its CD drive, and eventually dual-analogs, it ultimately became the better system. Had more memory for textures, it looked better, and games like FF7 could have never been possible on the N64.

And Quake 3 on the Dreamcast was definitely unplayable. It plain didn’t work very well. It was vastly inferior to the mouse keyboard controls.

Basic question becomes, would you want to use a controller without a second analog? At this point its a control feature you can’t live without.

devogod

i agree entirely that the PS won that one hands down in the end. there was no way the n64 could keep up with game quality while relying on cartridges. only thing i disagree on is with quake 3 being unplayable on dreamcast. it sucked, and it had a rather steep learning curve to get used to the controls, but i managed to get used to it after a while. but yeah.. no comparison to a mouse and keyboard. mouse and keyboard is really why i haven’t bought a console since gamecube. i do have one of those logitech dual analog/dualshock playstation clone controllers though for when the need arises to use a controller.

Boudou

Also, on the subject of the N64 and 3D gaming.

I think Miyamoto and Nintendo thought about 3D gaming more than any other company at the time. And definitely were pioneers, however as it turned out they lost out to the Playstation.

It was an issue of execution. The PS, with its CD drive, and eventually dual-analogs, it ultimately became the better system. Had more memory for textures, it looked better, and games like FF7 could have never been possible on the N64.

And Quake 3 on the Dreamcast was definitely unplayable. It plain didn’t work very well. It was vastly inferior to the mouse keyboard controls.

Basic question becomes, would you want to use a controller without a second analog? At this point its a control feature you can’t live without.

Khimera2000

Still remember getting the Nintendo Bazooka for the SNES for Christmas. Man I had fun with it, also why not mention the Nintendo power pad running mat?

AdamRadzik22

The Super Scope was freakin’ awesome. It was like the Zapper on steriods. I actually broke out my SNES for the first time in years and had a ridiculously fun time playing the game that came with the Super Scope, plus Battle Clash and its sequel. Honestly, it’s accurate and fun.

The Super Scope and Kinect honestly are IMO the best add ons that have existed. Unfortunately (as is the case with many add ons), the Super Scope wasn’t terribly widely adopted (and was only supported by like…10 games or something), so many people didn’t know or care at the time.

http://r4town.com/ Bruce

@Bruce Robotic operating buddy seems like something I would like to buy that one and power gloves as well.

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